Dammerley Early Origins

The surname Dammerley was first found in Devon where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands and village of Milton Damerell which was held by Robert d'Aumale who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. The holding was worth 30 cattle and 25 goats.

Dammerley Spelling Variations

Dammerley Early History

Dammerley Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dammerley research. Another 201 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1243 and 1568 are included under the topic Early Dammerley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dammerley Early Notables (pre 1700)

Dammerley Early Notables (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early Dammerley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

The Great Migration

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Thomas Damerall, who came to Barbados in 1679; John Damrell, who settled in Virginia in 1693; Edmund Damerell, who settled in Michigan in 1854; John C. Damerell, who came to Illinois in 1856.

Burke, Sir Bernard. Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry: Including American Families with British Ancestry. (2 Volumes). London: Burke Publishing, 1939. Print.

Bede, The Venerable. Historia Ecclesiatica Gentis Anglorum (The Ecclesiastical History Of the English People). Available through Internet Medieval Sourcebook the Fordham University Centre for Medieval Studies. Print.

The Dammerley Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Dammerley Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.